Rafa Benitez has stressed that Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have free roles in attack and do not demand to play in specific positions.

Ronaldo has been positioned as the focal point of Benitez's attacking system, particularly when Karim Benzema has been out, while Bale has been deployed in a central attacking midfield role.

Bale was restored to the left in the Champions League on Tuesday.

When asked who had demanded the positional switch, he said: "I never tell Bale to play on the left, Ronaldo on the right. They have freedom to move around the attack, to interchange positions. They're both very strong.

"I'm the coach of a group of very good players and I have to exploit the characteristics of these players as best I can, so they all work together out on the pitch."